The Power of Hope-part 1
by Heroine of the Valley
Summary: The begining of my last fic. This is a continuation from The Lost Crests. Kari is diagnosed with cancer. Please read and review!
1. Default Chapter Title

****

The Power of Hope part 1

Many years have passed for the digidestined and the human-digimon. Felicia, Tai and Sora's daughter, is nine. Felicia doesn't take from Tai nor Sora, but a mixture of both. Tai and Sora tried putting her in soccer camp once and she when Felicia came back, she said she would never play soccer again. Just recently, she developed a liking for tennis and she does like to help Sora in the flower shop, except that it makes her sneeze. She's more like her Aunt Kari, because she's always saying she wants to be just like Kari when she grows up.

Mimi gave birth to twin girls, identical in looks, but non-identical in behavior and attitude, they are seven. Phoebe takes after Mimi, wears a lot of pink and red, acts like a princess, and sometimes she even wears the pink hat Mimi wore! Kat, however, takes after Matt. (I came up with the idea of their names, they sound the same: Mimi: Phoebe; Matt: Kat.) She play the harmonica very well, learning the guitar a bit and even styles her hair the same. They both have blue eyes and light brown hair, only Phoebe's is long and curly, like Mimi's, and Kat's is short, spiky and wild, (like that girl Jane on "One World"). She even bleached it blond. If they are like this when they are seven, wait until they're teenagers! Phoebe is Felicia's best friend, but Kat and Felicia don't get along very well. What the girls don't know, is that they're related.

Izzy and Dawn have a seven year old boy named Ryan. He's smart like his dad and religious like his mom. He's got the best grades in the class. Izzy's proud, but also stressed that he doesn't have to help him with his homework! Ryan often gets picked on at school and that's when he made friends with Kat. He likes to hang with her (for protection!). Kat looks like a punkster, a lot like her father, but also like her father, she is a real friend, except when Felicia ticks her off. She and Ryan are great friends. They both are in the band class he plays the trumpet and she plays the guitar and the drums. Sometimes they go to each other's houses to study and play music.

Joe and Sally were unable to have children, but they don't let it bother them. They keep working. They even have two dogs to keep them company, Rocky and Duke, golden retrievers. They also have been talking about adoption, but never got around to it.

T.K and Kari have been trying for a baby, but Kari has had some illnesses. She'll get pregnant, but have a miscarriage. She already had three miscarriages. Kind of like in Joe and Sally's situation, but Sally was just unable to get pregnant and Joe couldn't give her a baby either. Amazingly though, Kari got pregnant again and she is hoping for a baby boy. But she's been having weird symptoms. She has been keeping this from T.K and visiting Joe alone.

The digimon humans have found work suitable for them. Arnold, (Agumon) is in the army, Birdie, (Biyomon) has become a pilot, Gary, (Gabumon) is a daredevil, Keith, (Tentomon), is a power-line worker and electrician, Lily (Palmon) became Mimi's assistant, Greg, (Gomamon) is a lifeguard, Adam, (Patamon) and Angelica (Gatomon) are pro figure skaters. The new digimon humans, Alison, (Grazemon) is a firefighter, Liz (Lizardmon) is a meteorologist, and Josh, (Ninjamon) is a kung fu master. Only Angelica and Adam are married. The rest are too busy earning money to become financially able just to live alone! They found it too tough, so they became roommates, Keith and Gary moved into Arnold's apartment. Josh and Greg became roommates. Birdie and Lily are roommates and so are Alison and Liz; all four girls live in the same apartment building and the guys live in another.

"Kari, I feel odd being secretive about this," Joe admitted, about to tell her test results.

"Is it that bad?" she asked.

"Let me call T.K," he said, not able to answer.

"Must be bad," she mumbled.

He began to pick up the phone, but she stopped him, "No, I want to tell him. Please, Joe, just tell me what my results are. What's the matter with me?"

"It's hard for me to tell you because you're my friend," he moaned. "Kari," he set her back down and kneeled to take her hand, "You're dying."

"Dying?" she gasped, almost unable to say it, nor believe it. "No, no!"

"You have cancer."

"C-cancer?" she stuttered, "I have cancer? Where?" she put her hand over her mouth, 

"Your lymph nodes."

"Luekemia," she stated.

"You also have Anemia," he added.

"That explains the nosebleeds and fatigue," she whispered, her chest heaving.

"The cancer's spreading fast, that's probably why I just been able to tell what it is now."

"I can't die, Joe!" she shook her head, "T.K will be heartbroken!"

"Kari, I know this hard…"

"Is this why I've been so sick? When I was a kid, I got sick a lot."

He nodded, "must be. I heard about what happened in Digi-world."

"I don't understand, Angelica gave me her blood. Shouldn't it have helped me?" she asked. "When our digimon became human, they still kept the ability to heal fast and their blood has more antibodies, so why do I have cancer?"

"The blood she gave you treated the symptoms you had then. But I guess it can't cure cancer," he said sadly, "I still need to study this."

"How much longer do I have?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted, "A few weeks, maybe a month, a year. I'm just not sure."

"I don't want to die!" she cried. "Is God punishing me? I've _always_ been a good person, I'm a vet, I gave my self up to Myotimson, I did what I thought was right. Why is this happening to me? Why, Joe?"

"I'm only a doctor," he sighed, giving her hand a soft, reassuring squeeze, "sometimes, Kari, bad things happen to good people. It's not because God is punishing anybody. It really hurts me to say this to you. I hate losing patients, they're my friends."

"What can you do?"

"I'll give you some antioxidants that should help with the pain and their safe to use during pregnancy."

"I can't lose another baby, I can't!" she groaned, letting her hand out of his grasp. "But, if I'm going to die, the baby could die too." She wiped a tear away, "but I'll take them. Maybe there will be a miracle. Do you believe in miracles, Joe?"

He nodded, "of course, I see at least one every day. We're both doctors, Kari."

"Yes, we are," she stood up.

"You need to get plenty of rest, just stay off your feet as much as possible and take those pills at least twice a day," he ordered. "Now come on, give me a smile."

"Sure Dr. Kido!" she said, smiling and trying her best to be as cheerful as possible, "I will!"

"That's what I like to hear!" he said with the same enthusiasm, "laughter is the best medicine!"

"Then I laugh until I can't laugh anymore!" she said, giving him a hug, "thank you!"

He hugged back, "now, you have got to tell T.K and if those pills don't work, we'll have to let Tai know so we can check his blood."

"For a bone marrow transplant, right?"

"If needs be, yes," he muttered. "It'll be our best hope."

"I'd better be going home now, I do feel a bit fatigued." She grabbed her purse and as she opened the door she stopped in the middle, looked back and smiled, "oh and Joe, thanks, you're a great friend _and_ doctor. I don't know how this hospital will manage without you around."

He smiled back, absolutely touched, "you're welcome and thanks."

"Goodbye," she said, still smiling and left.

*****************

T.K got home earlier than usual. His boss said he could go because he knew that Kari was pregnant. His exact words were, "Ishida, go on home and be with your wife! Let Kari know we're thinking of her." He even gave him a bouquet of flowers to give to her. 

Lucky came to greet T.K and he pulled on his sleeve.

"What is it, boy?" he asked, "have you been fed yet?" he put the flowers on the counter, "Kari, are you home sweetheart?" 

Lucky pulled on T.K's sleeve harder, with a short growl. It was like Lucky was trying to tell him something.

"Lucky, what is it?" 

Lucky kept his mouth on T.K's sleeve and led him into their bedroom, where an unconscious Kari lay face down on the carpet. Luck let go and whimpered as he put his head on Kari's side and pushed it, trying to get her up. He looked at T.K as if to say, "I can't get her up."

"Oh no! Kari!" T.K shouted. He ran to her side, knelt down and turned her around. Her nose was bleeding and her forehead was hot, oh so hot, that T.K's hand felt like it could melt just touching her forehead, "Kari, can you hear me?"

Lucky whimpered again and licked the blood from her face. He looked at T.K again, as if to say, "what's the matter with her?"

T.K checked her pulse and breathing, she was breathing, shallow and her pulse was so weak he almost couldn't feel it. Kari looked like she was off in another world. He put hand down on her belly to feel the baby's heartbeat, still as a stone. He wiped the rest of the blood from her nose with a tissue. A bottle of antioxidants were grasped in her hand, the top gone. In a daze, he just took it and put it in his pocket, telling her to hang on as he lifted his weak, helpless, close-to-death wife in his arms full of strength and valor and carried her out. 

He could hazily hear Lucky barking as he ran down the steps and to the car, he put her in the backseat and smoothed a hair out of her face. "Hold on baby, just hold on for me, okay?" he kissed her forehead and sped off to the emergency room. 

Tai and Sora came to visit them just after T.K left. Felicia told them that she came to visit Kari everyday. Yesterday she wasn't feeling well and when she came to see her today, she didn't come to the door. Felicia wanted to come again and since Tai had a copy of the house key, he didn't question her.

"Nobody's home," Tai murmured, "honey, was the car here when you came?"

"Yes, Daddy," she nodded, "it was there and so was Lucky. I could him barking when I knocked on the door, but Aunt Kari didn't come to the door."

"Was T.K's motorcycle here?" Sora asked.

"No, but the car was. I'm scared," she said, shivering and wrapping her arms around her, "I kept knocking and calling for Aunt Kari, but she never came to the door. I stayed there for about 15 minutes."

"I hear Lucky barking," Tai observed, opening the door. "You two stay here, I'm gonna look around."

"I want to come too!" Felicia objected, "What if Aunt Kari's??"

"Just stay here, Felica, I'll be right back."

"But Daddy!" 

"Just let your father go, honey," Sora murmured softly. "He knows what he's doing."

As Tai walked up the stairs, he kept his hand on his crest of courage, "Don't be scared, don't be scared, don't be scared," he kept chanting to himself. "Maybe Kari's just watching T.V." His mind flashed back when she got sick when they were younger, and in Digi-world, and when Kari was in the hospital from the dog bite. All the other times when she got sick. _It's all adding up,_ he thought to himself, _Kari's illness._ When he got the door, she gulped when found it wide open. Lucky was barking in the living room and he ran toward the bed room, came back and barked and ran to the bed room. 

"Smart dog," Tai mumbled, following Lucky. Lucky pointed his nose to the bloody tissue and the blood stains on the carpet. A couple of pills laid on the floor with the unscrewed cap. Tai took one look at the articles and stepped back in a short breathless gasp. He didn't need to ask Izzy what it all meant: His little sister was in trouble. He picked up the pill and the cap, and ran outside, Lucky right behind him.

"Sorry, Lucky," Tai said stopping to pet him, petting him, "I'd take you with me, but you should stay here."

The dog whined, but obeying went back inside and Tai closed the door and locked it. 

"Good dog," Tai murmured and ran back down, where his wife and daughter waited for him. 

"Dad, what is it?" Felicia asked.

"Kari's in trouble, honey. We've got to get to the hospital," he put the car in gear and sped off to the hospital, unaware of what they might find.

T.K walked back and forth. He'd just called Matt and Adam. They both said they'd be here soon. T.K couldn't believe it. His wife and best friend laid in a hospital bed and he couldn't do a thing to help her.

"Uncle T.K!" Felicia shouted, running to him and throwing her arms around his hips, "we'd thought you be here. You weren't home!"

"How'd you know I'd be here?" he asked in surprise. He looked up, "Tai, I was just going to call you!"

"No need," he mumbled, taking the bloodstained tissue, the pills and the cap, "I found these. I knew something was wrong. T.K, what happened?"

"I found Kari on the floor, with this in her hand," he picked took the bottle out and handed it to Tai. Tai nodded and put the pills inside and screwed the cap on, "where's my sister?"

"Over there," he pointed to the room.

"What's wrong with Kari?" Sora asked.

"Joe told me that she has cancer. Kari just saw him today and she's been going secretly."

"Kari did what?" Tai shouted, "I don't believe it!"

"I said about the same thing," T.K admitted, "Kari didn't want us to know about it. She didn't want to worry us."

"Well, we're worried!" Tai fretted, "How long has this been going on?"

"Couple months, I did suspect something going on, but Kari didn't say anything. You know, Tai, your sister _really _knows how to keep a secret!"

"What about the baby?" Sora asked.

"They had to take it out by Caesarian. It's chance of life might be as slim as Kari's," he said, slumping down in a chair, "when I found Kari, I couldn't feel the baby's heart beat." 

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Felicia asked.

"Boy."

"My new cousin is a boy?" she mumbled, but then stopped to think of it, she was still older, "that's pretty cool!"

Matt, Mimi and their family came in, followed by Adam and Angelica. Adam and Angelica said hello to everyone stood by Kari's window.

"T.K, are you all right?" Matt asked, giving his younger brother a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here!" T.K cried, "brother." 

"I'm your brother, where else would I be when you need me?"

"Hi Phoebe!" Felicia said, slapping her a high five.

Phoebe smiled, "hi Felicia, glad to see you here!"

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"To see our Aunt Kari."

"Get out!" she laughed, "she's my aunt too!"

"No way!" she turned to her mom, "Hey mom, why didn't you tell us we were cousins?"

"Ask your father."

"We're cousins?" Kat grumbled, "great."

"Well, you see, T.K's my brother and Kari's Tai's sister," Matt explained nervously.

"You didn't tell them?" T.K demanded, "Matt, have you been playing in concerts too long to tell them that they're cousins?"

"Yeah dad," Kat said, "is it because you thought we wouldn't like her?"

"Hey, I like her!" Phoebe objected, "Felicia's cool, but she _could_ dress better."

"Phobe?!" Felicia gasped, "what's wrong with what I wear!"

"I never see you in pink, pink would _really _look nice on you!" she said.

"Oh yeah," she joked, "well, let's see you try holding a tennis racket!

The two girls giggled and linked arms.

"I can't believe I'm cousins with you," Kat said, crossing her arms.

"Hey, that's not very nice!" Felicia snapped. "You take that back!"

"Yeah, Kat! Felicia's our cousin!" Phoebe cried.

"Oh great," Mimi sighed, "Matt, I knew this was going to happen."

"But Mimi, I!"

"You see, Kat takes after you and she's not getting along with Felicia," Mimi said, "Just like you and Tai."

"That's right Mimi," Sora said, "and Felicia takes after Tai."

"Actually, hon, she takes after both of us _and_ Kari. If Felicia does take after me, she'd be a soccer champion."

"You look like the girl in the slasher movie!" Felicia said to Kat, "who do you think you are with that hair?"

"Do you always start conversations like this?" Kat demanded with a sneer.

"So how many fights do you get in everyday? 5? 8? 11?"

"You talk too much!" Kat accused, pushing her back.

"Don't touch me, you _punk_!" Felicia demanded, pushing her back.

"Oh yeah Tai, just like Kari," Matt grumbled. "Should of raised her a bit more carefully!"

"Don't tell _me_ how to raise _my_ daughter!" Tai ordered, grabbing Matt's collar. "Just look at yours!"

"You know mom, if Kat was like me, we wouldn't have this problem," Phoebe said, "and we'd be friends too."

"Punk!" Felicia snapped, pushing Kat back again.

"Da-weeb!" Kat grunted, her next push to Felicia was a harder shove.

"Hey!"

"Girls, stop it!" Sora ordered, grabbing Felica's arm.

"Cut it out!" Mimi grabbed Kat's arm, "You shouldn't be fighting in a hospital!"

"Sorry about that Mimi," Sora apologized.

"It's okay," Mimi smiled, "no how are we supposed to separate our husbands?" she looked at Tai and Matt, who had each other by the collars.

T.K stepped in between Tai and Matt, socking both of them in the mouth, "Now that's enough! Ever since you two met, you got into fight after fight after fight! I'm sick of it! Now when your girls meet each other, they start to fight! I can't take it anymore! Don't you know that Kari is dying in there? Huh? My best friend in the world could die today and there's _nothing_ I can do to help her!" he shouted, pointing to Kari's room. "she could lose another baby, but she doesn't know. And here you are fighting over something stupid Open your eyes people!" he saw that he just lost control in front of his loved ones and his little nieces. Adam and Angelica turned around in shock. Everyone stood, blinking. They just couldn't believe what happened. "I'm sorry everyone, I'm…"

"Uncle T.K?" Felicia sniffed, "our cousin, Aunt Kari…" she stopped as she found the words impossible to say.

"Could die?" Phoebe finished the question.

"Oh how awful," Kat mumbled, making their phrase complete.

The three girls looked at each other, they were all related and two of them were fighting over nothing when they were supposed to be _family_.

"Sorry, Kat," Felicia said.

"Me too, Cuz," she smiled.

"Cuz? I like that!" Felicia laughed. "It's okay, _Cuz._"

The two girls shook hands.

"Tai, I need to tell you something," Joe said, walking to the group, "Kari's condition is worse."

"Oh no," he mumbled.

"You're her closest relative and we will need to check your blood."

"Joe, why would you need to check Tai's blood?" Sora asked.

"Because he's Kari's brother," He explained If you both have the same blood type, we'll need to do a bone marrow transplant."

"I've heard of those, Daddy," Felicia said, "It's really painful for the donor."

"Can't be more painful than losing Kari," he said, "Okay, let's do it. I'm not scared."

"Joe, there's a problem," Jim said, "the kid in room 412."

"Oh no, not the kid in the knife fight again!" he groaned.

"I can't get through to him, Joe. Seems like you're the only doctor he'll listen too."

Izzy's family just came in, "Hi, Jim just called us." Izzy said. Ryan went to comfort Kat.

"Okay, I'll go, can you take Tai here to the lab so we can give Kari the transplant?"

"Sure, come on Tai."

"Can I see Aunt Kari?" Felicia asked. 

"We all want to see her," Kat added.

Both Jim and Joe nodded. "But you won't like what you'll see," Jim said.

The three girls went in to visit their aunt and found her sleeping. They sat next to her, waiting for her to wake up.

"Look, Aunt Kari looks like she's coming around," Felicia observed.

"Hey, Aunt Kari? Can you hear us?" Kat leaned over and gave her shoulder a push, "Hey, wake up!"

"What's that around her neck?" Phoebe asked, "Mom and dad has one like it too!"

"Wow," Felicia gasped, "and so does my parents. Uncle T.K too."

"Ugh," Kari moaned, stirring, "hi girls." She smiled. 

"How are you feeling?" Felicia asked. "Gosh, Aunt Kari, you don't look so hot."

Her crest of light glowed, "I'll be fine," she murmured.

"Aunt Kari, what's that?" Felicia asked, picking it up. "It's glowing!"

"My crest of light."

"Really? Mom and dad has one too."

"Yes, Felicia," Kari said, "your dad has the crest of courage and your mom has the crest of courage."

"That's cool!" Felicia smiled. "And Uncle T.K's?"

"the crest of hope," she murmured gently.

"Wow," Kat said, "what about my parents?"

"Yeah," Phoebe said, "Dad has a blue one and mom's is green."

"the blue one is friendship, the other is sincerity."

"Cool! I'd like a crest!" Felicia admitted.

"Hey wait, Mr. and Mrs. Izumi have crests too," Kat said. "I'm quit sure of it, I was at Ryan's and he was helping me study…"

"Kat and Ryan sittin' in a tree!" Phoebe interrupted.

"Hey, stop it!" Kat snapped, "He was only studying with me because I said I'd keep those jerks from beating him up everyday!" Kat felt her cheeks become warm.

"Aunt Kari, where did you get this crest? And Mom and dad?" Felicia asked, sounding confused. "I didn't see any stores that have 'em!"

"They're not in stores, honey. I got them somewhere else." Kari said.

"Can you tell us?" Kat asked. 

"It started when both your parents went to soccer camp when they were kids," Kari explained, "Joe and Izzy were both there."

"Joe?" Felicia asked

"Dr. Kido, the younger one," she said.

"Where were you?" Kat asked.

"I was sick."

"Well, can you tell us some more?" 

"Sure, when they were at summer camp, it began to snow and they went to a really awesome place called, Digi-world…"


	2. Default Chapter Title

****

The Power of Hope Part 2

"Well, isn't it Dr. Kido?" the kid in room 412 grumbled. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead and his left eye was covered with the bandage. He got in a terrible knife fight and got punched in the eye and his arm was cut. The people who fought him stole his money and tore his shirt apart. His brown hair was oily and it came about mid-neck. His eyes were gray.

"Hi Jedato, how you feeling today?" 

"Fine and my name's Jed!"

"You shouldn't talk to my like that."

"I'll talk to you however I want!" he snapped.

"Listen Jed, you're lucky to be alive. Those kids could've taken more than just your money."

Jed turned his head and squinted to see the TV. He was watching a Music Television Channel. "Oh what do you care?"

"Where are your parents?" Joe asked, taking a chair and turning it around to sit on it. He put his arms on the frame.

"I don't have no parents."

"No parents?" he was shocked to hear it. "Friends? Nobody to rely on?"

"I don't need nobody!"

"I can't tell you don't have any teachers either." Joe mumbled. "Want to hear a story?"

"Hell no!" he snapped rudely.

"Well, I'm telling you anyway!" Joe snapped back, but in a friendlier way. "Listen, Jed, I once had a really cool patient. His name was Ray Duro. He used to be an excellent high school teacher and he got in a bad accident."

"Then he died, right? Gosh Doc, that's a stupid story!"

"I'm not done yet!" Joe said, "he was paralyzed from the chest down. He couldn't only blink and talk. He could move his head slightly."

"What a way to go, how depressing."

"It is depressing, but you know what? Ray Duro was different from many of my patients. He was happy that he was alive. He would tell me all about the kids he taught in his classes and how they thanked him for changing their lives. Some even came so he'd teach them."

"What happened to him?"

"He died in the big earthquake 7 years ago. Do you remember that earthquake?"

"Yeah, I lost some of my friends in that earthquake."

"Now, I want to tell you about anther patient of mine of mine. Taichi Kamiya. Heard of him?"

"The soccer player that became a racecar driver?"

"That's right, you've heard of him!" he laughed, "but he got hurt in a soccer game. Broke his leg real bad. When I told him he might not play soccer ever again, he became really bitter…like you."

"Oh shut up," he mumbled.

"Until I told him about Ray and man, did Tai change!" Joe still found it unbelievable. "He could still play soccer if he wanted, and his leg is fully healed now. For a year, he walked with a limp and now he could kick a soccer ball as far as you can see!" he said with a smile. "Boy, he sure proved me wrong. But now, he's just the soccer coach at high school and he's also a race car driver."

"What's your point?" Jed asked, obviously not interested in the idea.

"Tai realized that he couldn't linger on just a broken leg. He felt selfish and he changed back to his brave self. Now his kid sister is dying of leukemia and guess what he's doing right now?"

"Bawling?"

"Wrong! He's getting his blood checked so if he's a match, we'll take some of his bone marrow to put it in Kari. You know what a bone marrow transplant is like for the donor? It's not very pretty, but he loves his little sister so much, that he's willing to do a painful procedure just to buy his sister some time."

"That's quite a price," Jed whispered.

"It is and I hope this changes things, because I'm sick of your attitude!" Joe stood up and pushed the chair away. "You're lucky to be alive, kid! You just got a few scratches and black eye."

"When can I go home?" Jed asked.

"You _have no_ home, Jed!" Joe said, "am I making this clear? You've got _nobody!_ Who's gonna take care of you?"

"I can take care of myself, I'm 13 years old!"

"You got nobody!" he shouted, holding his arms out to the side, "When I was 13, I was in a different position and place you were in!" (Yeah, it's called the Digi-world!)

"Oh yeah? Well, what are you gonna do? Huh? Adopt me?!"

"What?" Joe mumbled. "What did you say?"

Unable to see the look in his eyes, he turned his head. "Look, Dr. Kido. I appreciate what you did for me. I never knew who my real parents were. I heard my dad was a drunk and left my mom, she couldn't take care of me, so she got rid of me. I got tired of people handing me from foster home to foster home, so I just went to the streets."

"That's what your papers say," Joe said.

"Life's a joke," Jed groaned, "it's a cheap joke!"

"Yours maybe," Joe argued, pointing his finger at him accusingly. "It makes me sick when I get patients that don't want to live!"

"Cut the crap, Doc!" he stared out of the window, he didn't want Joe to see his face.

Joe came closer, leered over Jed and turned his head so he could look at his face, "Do you really want to go home? Hmm? Do you? Fine! Go right ahead! There are a lot of suffering people in here and most of them want to live! You're making it harder for everyone else! You're taking up too much space in my hospital!" he pointed out the door, " Go on to your little corner on the sidewalk! I want patients that want to live, not bitter, rude and ignorant teenagers that think life's a joke! Go on and see if I care!" disgusted, he started to walk away, "You wouldn't last a day!"

"Dr. Kido, wait!" Jed shouted, forcing himself up. Joe left, ignoring his plea, "oh, great!" he slammed his fist down on the bed. 

* * *

"Digiworld, digimon, digivices and crests?" Felicia mumbled, unable to understand or believe a word Kari has told her. "I don't believe it!"

"Well _I_ believe it!" Kat said, pointing her thumb into her chest, "That's quite a story! The best story I ever heard!"

"Me too," Phoebe agreed.

"But I think it's way cool the way you gave yourself up to this Myotismon jerk," Felicia said with a smile, "that took guts, Aunt Kari!"

"I was worried that I wouldn't see Gatomon anymore and I thought it would make Myotismon stop," Kari explained, "it's too bad that there is no more digiworld anymore."

"That is a bummer!" Phoebe sighed, "but at least the digimon became human and they are still with you."

Felicia walked toward the window, "you know Aunt Kari, I wish I could go to another place, just like Digiworld. I've always wanted to get away from it all, see new things, find myself, have an adventure once in awhile…"

The Kari reached her hand to her heart and gasped, "I-I can't, breathe!" she managed out.

"Aunt Kari?" Phoebe mumbled.

The monitor made a long beep and it showed a flat line, Kari collapsed on the bed, unable to breathe, her heart stopped beating.

Knowing what the beep meant, Felicia screamed and ran to Kari to shake her, "Hey, Aunt Kari!?" 

"We got to get the doctor!" Phoebe told them, trying to control her tears.

"Mom, Dad!" Kat cried, running out.

"Mom, Uncle T.K!" Felicia ran beside Kat as Phoebe behind Felicia.

"Felicia, honey, what is it?" Sora asked.

"Kat, slow down and tell me what happened," Matt ordered.

"Are you all right, Kat?" Ryan asked in concern, reaching his hand to her.

"It's Aunt Kari, we were just talking to her and then she said she couldn't breathe!" Felicia sobbed.

"Then she fell asleep again and we couldn't get her to wake back up!" Kat added with a cry.

"She was telling us a great story too, it was about digiworld," Phoebe sighed as Mimi kept her close.

"Kari did what?" T.K gasped.

"Digiworld?" the others said at once.

T.K turned to the window to look at his best friend in the world, he wanted to go in there to do something to help her, anything, to hold her hand, just anything, but he was unable to move. He couldn't even talk. He just stood there with fear in his eyes, the biggest fear he ever felt in his whole life. She could die today and there was nothing, _nothing_ he could do but watch.

Jim, Joe and other doctors and nurses ran in to begin working on her.

"I can't stand and watch this," T.K whispered, "I've got to get out of here!" He began to walk outside.

"Hey, where you going, T.K?" Matt demanded, grabbing his arms.

"Out for some air," T.K murmured, "I can't stay here," his soft voice rose to a shout, "I just can't stand to watch Kari in that bed anymore! I need to get out of here!" He shook off Matt's arm and walked away.

"T.K, come back!" Matt shouted after him.

"Let him go, Matt," Mimi said, "he needs to be alone."

It was snowing outside and there already was snow on the ground. T.K stumbled away, while grabbing at his crest. He grunted and ripped it off his neck, "damn this crest of hope! It was nothing but bad luck!" he looked at it in anger in disgust, like the crest was covered with mud, "it took forever to glow and to make Angmeon digivolve! Why am I always the last one to get anything? Why? I was a good kid, I waited and waited for Patamon to digivolve, it seemed like decades! I hate being last!" T.K shuddered and paused, but he wasn't finished yelling at the crest, "Was it because I was the smallest, is that it? Why did I get stuck with the crest of hope? I hoped for a lot of things and nothing happened! Why couldn't I get something better? I feel so ashamed, I could just die!" and with that, he turned around and threw the crest away in the snow. He ran off to his car and went home, because he had no where to go.

*****************

Kari floated out of her body and looked down to see doctors and nurses working on it. "No, I'm dead?"

"Not just quite, Kari," a familiar male's voice to her left.

"Mr. Ishida?" Kari mumbled, "but you're dead!"

"Hi Kari," another voice on her right murmured.

"Gennai? W-what's going on here?"

"Do you know how special you are to your family?" Gennai asked.

"Yes, of course I do! I need them! I got to go back."

"And they need you, Kari," Mr. Ishida added.

"Yes, I know that, but what's the point of this? I can't die now!" Kari shouted. 

"Kari, you kept this from your family, only to keep from hurting them," Mr. Ishida said. "You realize where T.K is right now? He just threw his crest away."

"No!" Kari gasped, "Not T.K!"

"You need to know how special you are, you are a digidestined, without you," Gennai whispered, "Myotismon would have destroyed everything, the dark masters would have ruled the digiworld forever if it hasn't been for your thoughtfulness and integrity."

"You also have a son in the hospital who needs you," Mr. Ishida said, "but we can't send you back until you strive to live, you need the will to live."

"But, I thought I did," Kari mumbled, "didn't I?"

"You thought you could handle this all on your own," Gennai told her, "you got to let others help you. Don't push others away. You can't do everything just by yourself. That's the point of this all, Kari. Right now, your brother is going to give you some of his bone marrow."

"But Tai's--"

"Just let him do it for you, let him do what he's always wanted to do. You've done plenty for him," Mr. Ishida said, "you gave people a lot of things, let them return the favor."

"I understand," Kari moaned, "I'm ready."

"Thata girl!" Mr. Ishida said. "Now go! It's not your time yet."

"Good, this out of body nonsense scares me!" she went back to her body and the monitor made the normal beeps as the screen gave easy lines up and down. Her eyes opened to see Jim, Joe and the doctors and nurses, "I feel…better." She murmured.

"Tai is going under the surgery right now," Jim said, "He'll be really sore for awhile, but it will make you feel better."

"I understand, let's get on with it," she said with a smile.

"Wow," Joe mumbled, "I'm surprised to hear _you_ say that!"

"So am I Joe, so am I!" she mumbled back.

***********

T.K was asleep on his lazy boy in the living room. He dreamed a really weird dream. He was climbing a mountain, similar to the mountain on his crest. It was dark and he couldn't see a thing. The sun was on the other side. As he struggled to lift himself up, he hear evil digimon voices talking to him. "You can't do it, little one!" they all said. "You are finished!"

"No, don't listen to them, T.K!" Kari said. 

Matt's voice followed hers, "Come on, T.K, make me proud!"

But T.K still found it hard to climb up the dark mysterious mountain. "I can't do it," he whispered, "I'm a failure! What's the point?" and after he said those words, he slipped and fell to his death.

"Augh!" T.K leaned forward as Lucky pulled on his pant leg. "Thanks, Lucky." He looked on his lap, he was looking through Kari's scrap book. She kept a lot of things in it, she even kept the flowers T.K gave her in the digiworld and every corsage that she wore on each formal dance was pressed in with the pictures. There were some pictures when she and Tai were younger. He smiled at the pictures of Kari's past, but frowned at the thought of no pictures for her future.

The doorbell ran and T.K groaned as he went to go answer it, "I'm coming, I'm coming." He opened it and gasped when he saw Dawn standing in front of him, "Dawn, what're doing here?"

"Were you expecting Matt instead?" she asked.

"Oh, come in," he said, turning to the side.

"Thanks," she came in and sat down. "Listen, I know you're hurt, but you can't just lose hope."

"Why not?" he demanded, "there's no point in just _hoping_ for things! I hoped for a lot of things and they never happened."

"Oh, I'm sure you got some things you hoped for," she persuaded, "I know there's a lot of things you hoped for and something _did_ happen."

T.K thought back to the time when he was younger, "okay, when I was in camp, I nearly cut of one of Joe's fingers and I hoped that I'd miss and I did miss. He didn't get hurt."

"I'll be sure not to tell Sally!" Dawn laughed.

"And I did hope that Patamon would sometime digivolve, and he did. I also hoped that someday I'd return home from the digiworld and we did," T.K couldn't believe it was true, "well, maybe I was right."

"Anything else?"

"I also hoped that the 8th digidestined was someone my size and Kari is…well, was anyway," he whispered.

"What was something that you never gave hope on?" Dawn questioned, knowing that T.K had a lot of hopes.

"Since I was a little kid and my parents divorced," T.K sighed, "I never gave hope that someday, somehow, my parents will get back together and I'll be reunited with my family."

"And that happened, T.K, don't you see?" Dawn urged, "it was your hope that brought you this far! You can't lose your hope, not now when you need it most!" she reached her hand to her crest of faith, "I was once in your shoes for awhile. I also lost a friend to cancer and I lost faith in everything, until I went to a church. The preacher there was so nice to me. I confessed all my sins, they weren't big ones, but still, I felt guilty and I was angry at the world, angry at God that he took my friend away from me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Dawn," T.K sympathized. "So what happened?"

"I went to church every Sunday," she said, "I got a cross and I wore it with pride because I knew if I always kept my faith, everything will be okay. Faith and hope are kind of like the same thing," she took his crest out, "don't you think?"

"My crest!" he shouted, taking it and kissing it, like it was a special treasure.

"I found it in the snow, I wonder how it got there," she said.

He tied it around his neck, "I'm never going to throw this away again! Thanks Dawn." 

"I also want to tell you something, your hope made a miracle today," Dawn said, "they brought Kari back and as soon as she gets the bone marrow transplant, she'll be fine!"

"That's amazing!" T.K laughed.

"Your son will be able to make it too! It's a miracle, T.K!" Dawn cried. "Don't you believe in miracles, T.K?"

"I Sure do! Let's go!"

*************************

Joe was surprised to find Jed still in the hospital room, "I thought you were going home." He said grimly.

"I have no where to go." Jed looked at him with tear-filled eyes. 

"Oh, I see," it was all Joe managed to say.

"I heard a lot of commotion," Jed whispered, "what happened down the hall?"

"Kari, Tai's little sister just went into cardiac arrest but we were able to bring her back. The bone marrow transplant will give her strength back."

"I'm glad." He reached his hand to the bandage covering his eye, "can I take the bandage off my eye now?"

"Yes," Joe carefully unwrapped the bandage from his face and saw that the wound was almost all fully healed. He saw a small scar and the bruise that used to be black was now a greenish yellow. "The stitches have kept that cut together nicely. Would you like ice for your eye?"

"No, but I could use a bath," Jed mumbled, "Dr. Kido?"

Joe was checking his pulse, "Yes Jed?"

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier."

"It's okay, Jed."

"Can I call you Dad?"

Joe dropped his wrist, "What?"

"Will you adopt me? I think you're the greatest doctor here!"

"Excuse me?" Joe said nervously. He hasn't felt this nervous since digiworld! "I think you suffered a concussion or something."

"I'm serious Dr. Kido!" Jed said, trying to sound convincing, "You've got to believe me!"

"Let me talk to my wife first," he turned around and saw that Sally was already there.

"Of course we'll adopt you." She said.

"But Sally!" Joe argued. "I was going to find some foster parents for him! Honest."

"Like who? Josh and Alison?" Sally asked, "Joe, look at him!"

"You don't want me!" Jed cried, "you're just like everyone else!"

"No Jed, that's not true! I was going to find a place for you to stay." Joe said, taking both of his wrists, in an effort to make him understand. "I have a lot of friends that would be happy to adopt you."

"I don't want anyone else," Jed threw his arms around Joe's waist and pressed his cheek against his chest. "I want you!"

"Joe, just look at the boy." Sally said.

"Please, Dr. Kido, I promise I'll do whatever you want, I'll even cut my hair and I'll straighten up! I promise! Just don't send me back to the streets, don't send me to somebody else!"

"We've talked about adoption, Joe and now we have our chance." Sally came up behind him, "Well?"

Joe looked at Sally and then at Jed. Looking at that troubled teenager's face, how could he say now? He felt the tears coming to his eyes, "Okay, Jed, _son_, you can stay with us." He held Jed's head close to his chest. 

"Thank you Dr. Kido!" Jed cried.

"You can call me Dad now," Joe chuckled.

"Welcome to the family son," Sally said, her arms both around Jed and Joe. "We'll fill out the adoption papers as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Mom!" Jed cried, "oh thank you!"

*************

Ryan kept hold Kat's hand when the surgery was finished. The doctors put Tai in Kari's room so they could be together. They talked about they good ol' days when they were kids.

"Your aunt's going to be okay," Ryan said softly.

"Thanks, Ryan," Kat whispered.

Ryan looked up at Izzy, "Dad, where did Mom go?"

Even with his crest of knowledge, Izzy had no idea, "I'm not sure," he mumbled.

Just then, T.K and Dawn came in, "hey, look who I found!" Dawn said.

"Is Kari any better?" T.K asked.

"She's even feeling better than Tai!" Sora said, "It's just a miracle."

"Hey Tai, remember that time when jumped in the pig pen when I accidently fell in?" Kari asked.

"Too well," Tai groaned.

"Well, thanks for doing it, I know it probably wasn't easy."

"Hey, it was easier than doing this!" Tai laughed, then groaned at the pain in his bones. They took quite of bone marrow from both of his legs. "but I'd do anything for you, you know that right?" 

"Thanks Tai, you're the best big brother any little sister could ask for!"

"And _you're_ the best little sister any big brother could ask for!" Tai laughed, then groaned again, "Man, I wish Mom was here!"

"You were always a softy, Tai!" Kari giggled. "Remember the time when---"

"Hey!" Tai cried, "I'm not a softy!"

Their parents came in, "Look dear, both our kids in bed!" their dad said.

"Just like when they were younger," their mom agreed.

Matt and T.K's mom came too and she brought her boys to her, T.K on her left and Matt on her right. "This is a miracle," she said.

"It's amazing what hope can do!" T.K added, his crest glowed, brighter than ever, like it was it's first time glowing.

"Yeah, just amazing," Matt said with a nod, "Just amazing."

From that day on, Kari's cancer got better and she never suffered from cancer again. She and T.K's son lived to and they named him Michael. The Digimon humans lived better lives and experienced more things than they imagined.

Fin

****

My fellow Digimon fans and readers:

Well, what did you think, folks? This is my final digimon drama fanfic.. And I'm serious about that people. I am afraid I won't be able to write any more digimon fanfics, not just drama. I am glad you liked my little series and my other digimon fanfics. I put a lot of effort into it. If you'd like the series to go on, email me and I'll give you some information about the, the new digidestined, (Sally, Dawn and Jim) the digimon humans, and the digidestined's children. If you'd like to add another new digidestined, that's okay. I'll still write more fics, I have some ideas for GW and a sequel to the Ronin Warrior/Sailor Moon crossover I made. I will always keep writing but for digimon, this is it. I know it's sad, but it's true. And those of you that can draw, feel free to draw scenarios from any of my fanfics. Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed my fanfics. Remember the legend of the digimon.

Sincerely,

Haley Dale 

a.k.a. GameGirl


End file.
